Skip to main content
By default, Outpost sends Autoresponder emails from an Outpost address ending in @notify.outpost.pub. Setting up a sending domain that you own (e.g., notify.yourpublication.com) lets you send from an email address like us@yourpublication.com. This improves deliverability and shows your brand in the From field.
Autoresponder Sending Domain settings with default domain, custom domain field, and Setup Custom Domain button

Autoresponder Sending Domain setup showing the default domain, custom domain input, and verification status

​
Prerequisites

  • A domain you own and can add DNS records to.
  • Access to your domain’s DNS settings (via your registrar or a DNS provider like Cloudflare, Namecheap, GoDaddy, etc.).

​
Setup

1

Enter your sending domain

Go to Autoresponder Sending Domain in the left navigation. You’ll see your current default sending domain and a field for your own.Enter a subdomain for us to set up records on (e.g., notify.yourpublication.com). Outpost pre-fills this with notify. followed by your site’s domain. Do not use just your root domain.
If the field is empty and Setup Custom Domain is greyed out, Outpost has your site’s address recorded as a Ghost-hosted one ending in ghost.io, and a sending domain cannot be set up under an address you cannot add DNS records to. Outpost names the recorded address on screen. If that address is out of date, use Refresh Site Settings on Publication Details and Outpost picks up the current one. If it is correct, the site needs its own domain before a sending domain can be added.
Use a subdomain such as notify., news., updates. or outpost. rather than your root domain. Subdomains keep DNS cleaner and avoid conflicts with other services on the root. Your public From address can still be an address on your root domain, such as info@yourpublication.com.
2

Add DNS records

After clicking Setup Custom Domain, Outpost displays the DNS records you need to add. The verification page shows a table:The records you add cover these purposes:
  • SPF: A TXT record at the root of your subdomain that authorizes Mailgun to send on your behalf.
  • DKIM: A TXT record at mailo._domainkey.yourdomain.com providing the cryptographic signature for email authentication.
  • MX: Two MX records (with priorities 10 and 20) that route bounce notifications back to Mailgun.
  • Tracking: A CNAME record that powers link and open tracking. The tracked links in your emails point at this hostname, so if the record is missing or proxied, emails still deliver. But offer links break, and opens and clicks stop being counted.
  • DMARC: A TXT record at _dmarc. followed by your sending domain, for example _dmarc.notify.yourpublication.com. DMARC tells receiving mail servers how to handle messages that fail SPF or DKIM checks. Outpost lists it under Recommended (not required), and your domain verifies without it.
If you already have a DMARC record on your root domain, at _dmarc.yourpublication.com, leave it as it is. That is the record governing mail sent from an address like info@yourpublication.com, whether you added it or your host set it up for you. The DMARC row on this page looks only at the subdomain, so it stays grey and marked Optional. That is expected, and there is nothing to fix.
Use the Default tab when your DNS provider auto-appends your domain to record names, or the Advanced tab for fully-qualified record names. Click any value in the Name or Value column to copy it to your clipboard.
If you use Cloudflare, set the Proxy setting on the CNAME record to OFF (grey cloud, not orange). The CNAME is the record that powers link and open tracking, so proxying it breaks the tracked links in your emails: offer links stop working, and opens and clicks stop being recorded. Other record types are not affected by Cloudflare’s proxy.
3

Verify DNS

After adding all records in your DNS provider, return to Outpost and click Re-check DNS. Outpost runs a fresh check of every record and updates the Status column. If every record passes, that same check also activates the domain: Outpost starts sending from it and runs the finishing steps described in the next step. DNS propagation usually completes within a few minutes but can take up to 48 hours, so a record can stay pending for a while after you add it. You can re-check up to twice a minute; if you click again sooner, Outpost asks you to wait a moment.Each record shows a checkmark when verified or a warning icon when still pending.
You have 24 hours from initial setup to complete DNS verification. If records are not verified within that window, the verification request expires and you receive an email notification. You can still complete setup after expiration: Outpost re-checks expired domains daily for up to one week.
4

Activate your sending domain

If the domain is not active yet, click Activate under 2. Activate custom sending domain. Activate runs the same check as Re-check DNS, so whichever button you click first is the one that starts sending from your domain. The Activate button no longer appears once the domain is active. Outpost then finishes three things: Open tracking and Click tracking, which keep email analytics working on the new domain, and Site label, which is how Outpost records that your domain is in use. When all three finish, a success message confirms the domain is active:
Your custom sending domain is set up. Outpost will now start sending from this domain. You can leave this page now.
If your domain verifies but one of those three does not complete, Outpost shows a warning listing each step that did not finish and why, with a Retry Setup button. Your emails already send from the new domain at this point, so only the listed steps are affected, and a Site label failure does not affect sending or tracking at all. Click Retry Setup to run the finishing steps again. Every step runs again, including the ones that already succeeded, so a step that finished in a half-done state gets repaired. Re-check DNS runs the same steps. If a step keeps failing, contact support@outpost.pub.Tracked links in your emails use http:// rather than https:// until a security certificate is issued for the tracking hostname, the name of the CNAME record you added. Outpost requests that certificate when it turns on click tracking, then keeps checking every 30 minutes for up to 24 hours and switches the links to https:// as soon as the certificate is ready. Certificates usually issue pretty quickly, so we suggest simply waiting.If the certificate is still not ready after 24 hours, Outpost stops checking and lists Click tracking in the Retry Setup warning with the reason “Certificate was not ready after 24 hours. Click Re-check DNS to try again.” Click Re-check DNS to start the checks again. If a second round does not switch the links over, contact support@outpost.pub.To remove the sending domain later, click Remove custom sending domain.

​
Verification statuses

​
From address configuration

Your sender identity lives in Email Design Settings: the name readers see, the address they see, and an optional physical address for CAN-SPAM compliance. The address does not have to be on your sending subdomain. If you set up DNS on notify.yourpublication.com, you do not have to send from us@notify.yourpublication.com. You can send from us@yourpublication.com, and most sites do. It does have to be the same root domain, though. If you set up sending on notify.yoursecondsite.com, you cannot send from us@yourmainsite.com, or from a personal address such as you@gmail.com. Once your domain is active, the Sending as line on this page shows the address readers see, with a Change link that opens the screen where you set it. Which field to edit depends on what you find there. If Email from address already shows your own address, that is the one readers see, and it is the one to change. If it shows an address ending in @notify.outpost.pub, that is an Outpost address we manage for you, and the address readers see is the one in Email Reply-to Address instead. If you have not set up a sending domain by adding the DNS records above, your emails go out from an Outpost address. Set Email Reply-to Address to an address you control, so that readers who reply reach you rather than Outpost. To have readers see your own address in the From line, set up the DNS records.

​
Why a sending domain matters

  • Mailbox providers (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo) recognize your domain as a known sender, which lifts inbox placement.
  • SPF and DKIM authentication passes, reducing spam classification.
  • Your sender reputation builds on your own domain rather than a shared one.
  • Members see your own address in the From field rather than an Outpost one.
After activating your domain, send a test email to a personal Gmail or Outlook account and inspect the headers to confirm DKIM and SPF are passing. Send to a domain DIFFERENT from your sending domain. Sending to your domain from your domain is the toughest email to send; it’s the kind of thing that scammers try to do, so test on a personal account, not your work account.

​
Free inbound email forwarding with Cloudflare

Most publishers want a notify@yoursite.com or newsletter@yoursite.com reply-to address but don’t want to pay for Google Workspace just to receive a few replies. Cloudflare Email Routing forwards inbound mail to your existing Gmail (or any inbox you already have) for free, and it pairs cleanly with the Outpost sending domain you set up above.
1

Move your domain's DNS to Cloudflare

Cloudflare hosts DNS for free, and you don’t have to transfer the domain itself away from your registrar: you just point your registrar at Cloudflare’s nameservers. Follow Cloudflare’s full DNS setup guide to add your domain and switch nameservers.
2

Set up your Outpost sending records on a subdomain

Use a subdomain like notify.example.com for the sending domain. See the Setup steps above. Keeping outbound on a subdomain leaves your root domain free for everyday email.
3

Enable Cloudflare Email Routing and add a forwarding rule

In Cloudflare, enable Email Routing for your domain and add a rule that forwards notify@example.com (or whichever address you want to receive replies at) to your personal Gmail. See Cloudflare’s Email Routing announcement and docs for the exact steps.
4

Configure Gmail to reply from the new address

In Gmail, set up Send mail as for the forwarded address. After verifying ownership, you can reply to forwarded messages from your custom address instead of your personal Gmail.
Set up two separate addresses: newsletter@example.com for newsletter sends, and notifications@example.com (or similar) for Outpost autoresponder and upsell emails. Reader filters often auto-sort newsletters into a folder, and your notification emails get buried with them if both come from the same address.
Once both addresses are forwarding, set the notifications address as the sending address in Outpost’s Email Settings, and set the newsletter address per newsletter in Ghost. Replies to either land in your Gmail inbox, and you can answer from the right address.

Email Design Settings

Configure From name, From address, and email appearance.

Integrations Overview

Outpost handles email delivery via Mailgun on your behalf.

​
FAQ

No. By default Outpost sends from an address ending in @notify.outpost.pub. A sending domain you own is optional but recommended for better deliverability and branding.
Technically yes, but don’t do it. It’s a bad idea. You could easily interfere with your existing ways of sending and receiving email. Use a subdomain such as notify.yourdomain.com instead.
Yes. The From address and the sending domain are separate settings. You can show info@yoursite.com to readers while your DNS records live on notify.yoursite.com. That is the normal arrangement, and it is why we recommend a subdomain for the records: readers see your main address, and the everyday email on your root domain stays untouched.The two do need to share a root domain, though. info@yoursite.com and notify.yoursite.com both come back to yoursite.com, so they pair correctly. An address at an unrelated domain, such as info@somewhereelse.com, does not, and mail sent that way can be spam-foldered or refused outright. Outpost does not check this pairing for you, so it is worth getting right.Once your domain is active, the Sending as line on this page shows the address readers actually see, with a Change link that opens the screen where you set it.
Usually a few minutes, though DNS propagation can take up to 48 hours depending on your provider. Outpost re-checks pending domains every few hours. If records are not verified within 24 hours, the status changes to expired and you receive an email. But Outpost continues checking daily for up to one week, so the domain can still verify automatically once records propagate. If verification is stuck, click Re-check DNS, double-check your DNS records for typos, and confirm any Cloudflare proxy on the CNAME is disabled. A missing DMARC record is not the cause, because that record is recommended rather than required.
Yes. Remove the current domain and set up a new one. Be aware that changing domains resets your sender reputation, so deliverability may dip temporarily.
A sending domain can only be connected to one site, so that no one else can send mail authenticated against your DNS records. If another site is already using the domain you typed, setup is refused with a message:
That sending domain is already set up on another site. Contact support if you think this is a mistake.
Check the domain you typed for a typo first. If it is right, the domain is set up on a site that Outpost does not see as related to yours, which may be another site of your own that is not grouped with this one. Sites Outpost does know are related can share a domain: a staging copy linked to its live site, and sites grouped under the same company. Spacing and capitals do not matter, since Outpost trims the name and lowercases it before checking. If you believe the domain is genuinely yours and nothing else should be using it, email support@outpost.pub.
Yes. Move your domain’s DNS to Cloudflare and use Cloudflare Email Routing to forward inbound mail (like notify@yoursite.com) to your existing email address for free. Some services, including Gmail, let you configure Send mail as so you can reply from your existing inbox as the custom address.